Method of measuring the flow of fluids.



'.Patenteasep; zo; 1910.

' :we/vwl? 4 J. B. SPEED. l METHOD 0F BEASUBING THE PLOW 0F FLUIDS.

- LPPLIUATION FILED AUG. 10, 1909.

' UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFTCE. A

JAMESv BUCKNER SPEEDQOF BERKELEY. CALIFORNIA. AsswN-OR or oms-HALF 're ANDREW MURRAY HUNT, 0F BERKELEY. CALIFORNIA.

Patented Sept. 20,. 1910.

between pipesil and 3, but the most valuable 970,965 Speccation'of Lctt'ers Patent. i

Application lcd August 10. `1909. Serial No. 512.213.

f' s I To all whom 'it may co'rzeera.:`

Be 1t known that l, JAMESY llucitxeu SPEED, a citizen of the United States, residing at Berkeley, in the county of Alameda and State of'California, have invented a new and useful Improvement-in the Art of Measuring' he Flow of Fluids, of which the following is a specification. y Y

This invention relates to the art of measuring the How of fluids by reference to the drerenees m pressures caused by the tto'w- 'ingr of the fluid in a curved pipe or curved conduit, and has for its objectv to render the measurements easyrand lof easy application to existing pipes or conduits in manycases.

In measuring the flow of fluids a method known as the Venturi tube method is in use whiclreonsists'incausing all the fluid to llow through a conduit having two dili'erent cross sectional areas connected by a converging passage,.a determination of the dill'erenee in pressure existent in the fluid at the two dil"- ferent cross sections and knowledfe of the areas of the cross sections affordingF an accurate means of measuring the flow of lluids.

ln my process, l measure the dilfereuee in pressure whichis existent between that part of the fluid {lowing through a curved pipe or conduit, which is at the concave surface of the pipe or conduit, and that part of the fluid which is atv the convex surface of the pipe or conduit. y

Referring to the accompanyinlgr drawings, I have Shown an elemental apparatus l means of which my prmzess may be carried out, though it is understood that l do not confineV myself tosuch apparatus.

'Figure lgshows the longitudinal section of a pipe line and elbow,aud a pressure gage and eounectingpipes in elevation. Fig. shows a U tube forni of pressure ragt-,and connecting pipes, in elevation.

lleferrin,"r to Fig. l, l and Il are pipes connected to an elbow 2 bv flanges fl. f n

and are holes inthe elbow 2, diametrieally opposite each other, this diameter is the intersection of the plane ol' lho paper and a plane lxn'lxmliculzn' lo'the paper, which bi- Sects the angle of intersection o'l the pipes l and 3. lt is not. essential that the. pipes l and 3 should be, ali right angles however, but good results are not obtained with what are termed t' degree elbows. Neither is it essential that the diameter joiningIr the centers of holes 5 and l shall exactly biseet the angle i l i i i l i l l i l i i l l l l l results are obtained b v thus locatingr it. l` have shown the pipes S screwed into the holes 5 and t), and connected to the return bend t) andY pipe 10. ln case the fluid to be 50 measured is a liquid, l attach by suitable connections 1l a zglass; U-tube 12 provided with a graduated scale 13. Y Some air being Y inthe U-tuhe, any dill'erence iu pressure iu pipes S and 1t) isobservable by reading the 65 heights to which the water-columns.14 alul 15 rise, and sulitractimgr them.

lin ease the fluid to be measured is air or any gaf-:,'l attach a glass U-tube as shown in Fig. in which lt is a U-tube and li' is a 70 scale. l then put any suitable liquid olknown density, as water, in the bottom ofthe U-tube as indicated b v :10, and any dif ference in the pressures in pipes S and l() is observable by readinr thebelghts vat which 75 the water-columns 1S and la stand and subtracting them.r v L The explanation of the dili'erence in pressure foundexistent.between the inside and '.iu feel of water head. and called /1 the diameter of thei-ircular cross sect ion of the elbow measured in l'cel. and called l/i; the radius ol' thecenler line or curvingr axis 95 of the elbow measured in l'eel. and called "r; and the total discharge in cubic feet per second divided b v the cross sectional area in square feet called 12; in v experimentshavc giron the relation survex/h5 which iscorrect to within two'pcr cent. over a rather large range of all the quantities involved. Ho far l haveoul'v used water iu these experiments, but as long as the difference of head /1 is measured b v the columns of the liquid flowing, l believe the relation will be quite indtqxendent. of the viscosity of ihiilluifli-:unl alsoimlcpciulcnt of its ilomity. \\'hcu thi.` iin-thm! is usml for nwasui'iug thi` ratc of llow ol' air oi- ;aws :unl thi` ilitl'urmicc ol' pwssui'cs is incasuri-1l by such a gage :is4 shown iii 'ifi-,5. 2, thou Y; Y nuist; bc uiultif i -plicil by thc ratio of 'he ilcusilics ot thc;

lluiils: thus. if I 'crc zucasuriug'iho llow of air.l would multiply the valu@ of thc torni' l. b v the ratio of thc dciisity of tho liquid iu thc Uftuho lo thil ilcnsily of the lluil iii thc elbow 2.

lt is clcar that l may usiA any soi-l ot' prcsuro gagcs instead of thc lciuil shown.

l claim: v

i singes :it lcasl ,of thc hfuglh of tho curved poitioiul/` tho prcssurcs ou thc iuuvi' surfaces ofthe comun :unl thil couwx sides of .said part; thiril. iu computingr thc llow according to a suitable. rule which takes into account-'the liaiuctvr of thtl circular suction, tlie radius of curvature of thc curved conduit Where it is uniform, and tlux sure.` Y I). .X proccss of nicasuring tlwrate of flow sairl..l-itleroncc in presyof a lluiil which consists 'in causing the fluid to How through a circular coiuluil having a lli-ml orturu iii its coul-. 0 of at least 45 clel. in'occss of iiicasui'iug tho rato of flow*l of a lluul which is flowing; iii aV curvcil couluit which it fills. which prot-css consistsl in obsvrring thc ilili'ci'oiicf: in pressure rcsultf inf,r l'i'oui saiil flow bvtwcou thc coiicai'c and fouvvx sulcsof saul cui-veil conduit. and

coiiiputiiig tlirat(L of flow from tlul lata cuusi ting o f thv {conictrical description of ihc curvcil coiuhiit aiultlie said obscrved ilifl'crcuco of prussuru.

2. proccss of' measuring the` raie of flow .of a lluifl which consists first in causing the lluiil to flow throiifli a f urvcil conduit which is lillml b v tho llnul and has a uniform :'iicular cross scctioii, and thc` conter lino thereof' a conataut radius-of curvature for a part i i l l l gri-cvs change in dirci-tion, said bend havin r Y ing io a suitable rule which takes into fic- Y count thv `iliaineter of the circular section, the radius of curvature of the 'circular con.

duit whore it is uniform, and the Said '0bserved difference in pressures.

f yJAMES BUCKNER Witnesses: l A

Baum-z H. Wigan, i M. S. Bizowxnr.

SPEED.v 

